Nigel Farage has been forced to abandon a public appearance in Rotherham due to protests at the UKIP offices in the town.
Farage had planned to cut a ribbon at the office of UKIP electoral candidate Jane Collins, but said that he had stayed away on the advice of police.
Around three dozen protesters had gathered outside the UKIP offices to make it clear that they did not feel that UKIP was welcome in the town.
Local Labour MP Sarah Champion accused Farage of being like a “voyeuristic tourist” at the town, attempting to exploit the recent child sex scandal for votes.
The protests followed widespread condemnation of UKIP billboards in the town, which tried to make political gains from exploiting the suffering and anger caused by child abuse.
Farage dismissed the peaceful protests as “suppressing democracy”, and attacked Champion for making light of his predicament of being “trapped inside the Rotherham UKIP shop” on Twitter.
